Never Be Cold Again: How to Stay Warm Outdoors During Winter Adventures!

You don't have to be a hot-blooded Viking to stay warm in the winter! While I've lived most of my life in the North, I get cold just as fast as anyone else. However, during a decade of experience as a wilderness guide I've learned to dress for the winter weather, so I am almost never cold and winter is my favorite season (no bugs!). I've taught countless friends and clients to do the same, and now I'm going to share my eight warm-and-cozy secrets with you!

1. Wear wicking base layers next to your skin! My favorites are Smartwool merino long underwear tops and bottoms (other companies such as Patagonia, Icebreaker, and Minus33 sell these too). I wear these every day October through May! Synthetic long underwear also works fairly well and is less expensive.

2. Do not wear cotton base layers in the winter, and its actually best to avoid cotton altogether for outdoor activities. Cotton absorbs your sweat and then the damp cloth chills your body, unlike wool or synthetic layers which wick moisture away from your skin, keeping you a whole lot warmer. Cotton kills: wet cotton clothing has actually contributed to the death by hypothermia of many folks who became lost or injured in the wilderness.

3. Keep your head and neck warm! You lose lots of body heat in this area since lots of warm blood is pumping through your brain (you smartypants!). Keep your head warm with a good wool or fleece hat. Wearing two hats on top of each other will keep you super-extra-warm when the temperatures are below zero. Wear a neck gaiter or scarf to prevent heat loss from your neck. Also, jackets with hoods are really great, since wearing a hood over a hat (or two) and a scarf is the warmest combination!

4. Wear multiple insulating layers and adjust them if you start to sweat. I like to wear a wool base layer, then a wool button-down shirt, then a fleece or wool pullover, then a thin synthetic puffy jacket with a hood, then a thicker down jacket, then a waterproof/breathable shell to block the wind and trap all that warmth. When I am hiking up hill or doing something really active, I strip down to just a few layers (see the picture of me wearing a backpack above). This means I sweat less, so my layers stay drier and when I slow down, I don't get chilled by the moisture. When I get ready to sit still for a while, I put on every single warm layer I have so I stay warm (see picture at the bottom of the page). On my bottom half I wear long underwear, fleece-lined pants or wool hunting pants, and a rain pants to keep the wet snow off my bottom. If its exceptionally cold I might wear insulated snow pants, but often I don't find them necessary.

5. No more cold toes! Cold toes are the worst. Nothing will ruin your fun faster. To solve this problem, wear one pair of thick wool socks (multiple pairs of socks can constrict your circulation and make your toes colder) and Baffin Boots rated to -148 degrees Fahrenheit. The women's model is currently called the Musher and the men's model is called the Wolf. These are the best boots I have EVER worn, and I know multiple women who can't keep their toes warm while hunting unless they wear these exact boots. The are MAGIC! Worth every penny (and they are quite durable). Be sure to dry the liners out at night if you've been sweating in them (hang them over the wood stove or put them in your sleeping bag) so they don't freeze solid. If it is very icy, I highly recommend the Kahtoola Microspikes Traction System that fits over your boots.

6. Wear Mittens! Mittens are so much warmer than gloves. If you need dexterity, you can wear some thin wool or fleece gloves inside a pair of mittens, so your fingers still stay fairly warm when you take the mitten off. If you are working with tools outside, you can get wool-lined leather mittens that are more durable than nylon skiing gloves (see the Viking photo at the top of the page). If you are hunting and using a rifle (or a compound bow with a release), you need your trigger finger free, so try the special "trigger finger mittens" that keep your trigger finger separate from the main mitten, and make sure the trigger guard on your gun is large enough to accommodate the extra bulk of the glove. In the photo at the bottom of the page my fingers where the only thing that got cold after a few hours of sitting still, because I was trying to stay warm in gloves.

7. Drink Hot Liquids! Carry a thermos of hot cocoa or tea with honey. The warm liquid and extra sugar will help you stay warm.

8. Keep Moving! If you do get cold, the absolute fastest way to get warm is vigorous exercise. Hike up a hill, run through deep snow, or do some jumping jacks! Within 15 minutes you should be completely warmed from within. This is actually a faster way to warm up your toes than going inside and sitting by the wood stove -- warm blood from within is what they need most! Make it into a game or a dance to keep yourself motivated to move until you are warm.

That's it! Follow these eight secrets and you will never need to be cold in the winter again :-)

Have fun in the snow,MurphyLead Guide at Mountainsong Expeditions

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